By Pierluigi Oliverio | PUBLISHED: March 9, 2018 at 6:45 am | UPDATED: March 9, 2018 at 6:52 am Federal, state, county, city, school and special districts all have distinct and important roles to play in community governance, and each body has a primary set of responsibilities. Elected officials, and especially candidates, will often urge action on hot issues outside the responsibilities of their office or the office they seek. While this may be good politics, it is bad government. The public is misled, the staff is distracted, funds are wasted, and core responsibilities are neglected. While serving as a member of the San Jose City Council for 10 years, my office team prided itself on constituent service. Together we would answer each resident personally and managed over 17,000 separate constituent cases. Some of the cases concerned issues such as mental illness, homelessness, and drug addiction, all of which are core responsibilities of the county. There is an understandable amount of confusion among residents as to which level of government bears the responsibility for such issues: What is obvious to the political insider may not be apparent to the average resident. Cities within Santa Clara County work diligently to oversee the responsibilities of a city, including police, street paving, and neighborhood parks. However, cities do not have the same charge as counties. County government is vested by the state Legislature with “the powers necessary to provide for the health and welfare of residents within its borders.” While this does include overseeing the county jail, county hospital, and social welfare programs, it does not include the ability to approve or deny construction of new housing or commercial developments, traffic congestion mitigation, school test scores, or the price of water. As homelessness, opioid addition, and the need for mental health programs grows, the demand for county core services increases. According to CalPERS Continue Reading

By Emily DeRuy | [email protected] | Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED: February 9, 2018 at 1:29 pm | UPDATED: February 9, 2018 at 1:36 pm SAN JOSE — As the race to replace outgoing Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager heats up, so too do the campaign attack ads. In a blistering 42-second video, the Santa Clara County Government Attorneys’ Association PAC goes after Democrat Pierluigi Oliverio, who has squabbled with unions in the past, over allegations of sexual harassment that surfaced against him several years ago. Entitled #HimToo in reference to the #MeToo movement, the ad says, “Trump bragged. Roy Moore denied. City Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio was ‘pleased.'” At the time, Oliverio told this newspaper he was “ pleased the plaintiff voluntarily dropped the complaint against me.” The city ultimately settled with Fedor for $10,000. Continue Reading

By Robert Salonga | [email protected] | Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED: January 25, 2018 at 4:27 pm | UPDATED: January 25, 2018 at 4:32 pm SAN JOSE — Santa Clara County will become the second county in the nation to establish a emergency shelter and temporary housing program specially for LGBTQ residents, a response to safety fears experts say have driven up homelessness within their community. Supervisors unanimously approved the creation of a shelter this week, after officials heard a bevy concerns about the danger posed to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in conventional homeless shelters, which advocates say force them to either conceal their sexual orientation or fend for themselves outdoors. “I have young folks who are choosing to stay in the closet or be in the street,” Emerald, a formerly homeless transgender resident, said at Tuesday’s supervisors meeting. “I’m scared that if we don’t get these services within the next year, folks I know are going to die.” The order endorsed by the Board of Supervisors directs county staff — including the Office of LGBTQ Affairs and Office of Supportive Housing — to secure a building and assemble financing for a permanent emergency shelter and accompanying temporary housing program. The only other county in the country with such accommodations is San Francisco, which opened Jazzie’s Place in the Mission District in 2015. According to county figures, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer residents are disproportionately homeless, accounting for 29 percent of the county’s homeless youth. “We cannot have a situation where LGBTQ youth have nowhere to turn and are left to live on the streets,” Supervisor Cindy Chavez said after the 5-0 vote. Her sentiment was echoed by residents and community advocates in committee meetings co-chaired by Chavez and Supervisor Dave Cortese, many of whom gave emotional Continue Reading

By Jasmine Leyva | [email protected] | Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED: January 25, 2018 at 11:45 am | UPDATED: January 25, 2018 at 11:51 am To varying degrees, four of the five candidates vying for a seat on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors indicated during a forum last week they’re willing to take stances on the Trump administration’s policies. “My campaign is based on let’s remember what good government can do because we’re getting examples right now of how much bad government can do nationally and it’s kind of beating us all down and I think we’re tired of it,” former Campbell mayor Jason Baker said when the candidates were asked what role the county should play in responding to President Donald Trump’s policies. Former San Jose councilman Pierluigi Oliverio pivoted the question by explaining how he’d put his attention into helping the severely mentally ill. “My focus as a supervisor will not be the activist that some of you may want, but it will be to do the job of a county supervisor,” Oliverio said Along with Baker and Oliverio, the other candidates running to succeed Supervisor Ken Yeager’s District 4 seat are Dominic Caserta, a teacher and Santa Clara councilman; Susan Ellenberg, a San Jose Unified School District board member and director of community development for the Silicon Valley Organization; and San Jose Councilman Don Rocha. The top two vote getters in the June 5 primary will face off in the November general election for the District 4 seat, which encompasses Campbell, much of western San Jose, Santa Clara and the unincorporated Cambrian and Burbank districts. Yeager moderated the Jan. 15 forum, sponsored by the Santa Clara County Democratic Club, which kicked off with the question about how the county should react to Trump’s policies. Caserta cited examples of his record for “standing up” to administrations. “I Continue Reading

By Mercury News staff and wire reports | PUBLISHED: January 10, 2018 at 6:39 pm | UPDATED: January 10, 2018 at 6:44 pm SANTA CLARA — In what is being called the largest operation against an employer under Donald Trump’s presidency, immigration agents descended on 7-Eleven stores across the country, including those in Santa Clara, early Wednesday morning to begin checking on employees’ immigration status. The operation also targeted stores in Santa Rosa, Napa, Sebastopol, Suisun City and Petaluma, according to James Schwab, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman based in San Francisco. No arrests were made in those cities. Immigration agents served notices of inspection, also known as I-9 audit notices, to about 100 7-Eleven stores in 17 states and the District of Columbia, where they interviewed employees and managers, ICE said in a statement. The inspections are meant to ensure businesses are hiring employees who have proper work authorization. “Today’s actions send a strong message to U.S. businesses that hire and employ an illegal workforce: ICE will enforce the law, and if you are found to be breaking the law, you will be held accountable,” said ICE Deputy Director Thomas D. Homan. “Businesses that hire illegal workers are a pull factor for illegal immigration and we are working hard to remove this magnet. ICE will continue its efforts to protect jobs for American workers by eliminating unfair competitive advantages for companies that exploit illegal immigration.” Spokesmen for both the Santa Clara Police Department and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office said their respective agencies were not provided advance notice of the operation. “We were not made aware of the ICE operation in advance, and sheriff’s office administrators only learned details about the operation through what was reported in the media,” said Sgt. Rich Glennon of the sheriff’s office. “Of Continue Reading

Gerald Osuna, left, and John Kintana work to secure "patient", Brian Edwards, far right, in a litter as the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team does training on Indian Rock in Sanborn County Park near Saratoga, California, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. The team is comprised of about 70 volunteers who do wilderness and urban search and rescue operations. Saturday, the technical rescue team was doing training using cables, ropes, etc. similar to rock climbing. This is part of regular training the members must complete every few months. (Patrick Tehan/Bay Area News Group) Technical rescue coordinator, Rusty Wackermann, center, addresses fellow volunteers as the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team does training on Indian Rock in Sanborn County Park near Saratoga, California, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. The team is comprised of about 70 volunteers who do wilderness and urban search and rescue operations. Saturday, the technical rescue team was doing training using cables, ropes, etc. similar to rock climbing. This is part of regular training the members must complete every few months. (Patrick Tehan/Bay Area News Group) Gerald Osuna rappells as the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team does training on Indian Rock in Sanborn County Park near Saratoga, California, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. The team is comprised of about 70 volunteers who do wilderness and urban search and rescue operations. Saturday, the technical rescue team was doing training using cables, ropes, etc. similar to rock climbing. This is part of regular training the members must complete every few months. (Patrick Tehan/Bay Area News Group) John Kintana, left, and Gerald Osuna secure "patient", Brian Edwards, in a litter as the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team does training on Indian Rock in Sanborn County Park near Saratoga, California, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. The team is comprised of about 70 volunteers who do wilderness and urban search Continue Reading

By Paul Rogers | [email protected] | Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED: December 21, 2017 at 2:25 pm | UPDATED: December 22, 2017 at 3:34 pm The spillways at three dams located near densely populated communities around San Jose have structural problems that are similar to the flaws that led to the failure of the main spillway at Oroville Dam last February, recently completed technical reports show. The concrete spillways at the Guadalupe Dam and Calero Dam, both built in 1935 in the hills south of San Jose, have extensive cracks, flawed joints, and in the case of Guadalupe, gaps of up to 15 inches deep between the bottom of the spillway and the bedrock underneath. While the prospect of a wall of water wiping out parts of San Jose is indeed alarming, officials say the spillways would only pose a risk if the South Bay is inundated for months with rain filling the reservoirs to their brims. That’s a rarity, although it happened last year at Anderson, Santa Clara’s largest dam. The spillway at Anderson Dam, built in 1950 east of Morgan Hill, is in significantly better condition than the ones at Guadalupe and Calero, after a modernization project in 1988. But it still has cracks and concrete defects that need repairs, and potential voids requiring further investigation, the reports found. “Given the age of these spillways and the design standards to which they were designed and constructed 50 to 70 years ago, the results are not surprising,” said Katherine Oven, deputy operating officer for the Santa Clara Valley Water District, a government agency based in San Jose that owns all three dams. “It’s prudent to be concerned,” Oven said. “At the same time, the public should be made aware that the district has an ongoing dam maintenance and safety program. It’s not like we have been ignoring them.” All three dams were already in the planning process for seismic upgrades before the new studies of their Continue Reading

After several months of looking for a different location, the Roene B. DiFiore Center for Arts and Education has found a new home in Santa Clara.Earlier this week, Executive Director Ernie Doose and his wife Cindy Still, who run the center, signed the papers to take ownership of a former mercantile building at 3097 West Santa Clara Drive. An offer on the building was made around the first of December. The arts hub has been at its current location, 307 N. Main St. in St. George since November 2011.The decision to move was made after the city of St. George had contacted the center after nearby residents had made complaints about the events being held. Doose said the complaints were in regards to noise and overflow parking.Doose said hearing the complaints made them realize the center was outgrowing the facility, which prompted them to look for a larger location that would better suit their needs.“A lot of times we're limited if we have something like violin lessons or something going on in the art gallery,” Still said. “It’s going to be much better for us.”The building they will be moving into is around 2,000 square feet larger than the current building. Doose said the building space is in need of renovation and they hope to complete the area for the theater first. He said they expect to work with engineers and architects on the theater, which takes up about one third of the building.The Space Between Theatre Company has already made plans to do a production at the new location in March.About 15 arts organizations that currently use the DiFiore center for various purposes will be making the move to the location as well. The center has been used as a multi-faceted platform for classes, art exhibits and private events.Doose and Still have plans to bring in jazz, cabaret and open mic events as well as partner up with other arts organizations such as Vista Charter School and the Tuacahn Center for the Arts.Doose said there have Continue Reading